How much?
by ronNmione
Summary: A bet is made, a dance shared... Read and REVIEW please! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


**Disclaimer**: No matter how much I dream, I do not own the fabulous Ron Weasley or any of the other Harry Potter characters (oh or places or other proper and common nouns) and I am not passing this off to be the real story in any way. Oh, and (although I wish I had) I did NOT write "Stairway to Heaven." (even though I wish I did!)

It was a late fall day at Hogwarts School, the beginning of a new school year, and inside the Gryffindor common room was going on a party of the sort that is not allowed by professors who know what is going on. There was butterbeer, food that was nicked from the kitchens by none other than THE Fred and George Weasley... everything and anything. But there was someone missing from the fun.

"Hermione? Where's Harry?" asked Ron Weasley. He sounded truly worried. After all, the Dark Lord was back to full strength nowadays.

"Oh for God's sake Ronald. How would I know?" replied Hermione Granger in a barely disguised voice of worry.

"Well you're his friend, aren't you?" asked Ron, getting a little red around the ears.

"Yes Ronald. I am his friend. Aren't you also?" replied Hermione, in a very smug voice indeed. Little did anyone know that she only called him Ronald when she was infatuated with him, and she only acted smug when she was trying to avoid snogging him.

"Well... er... yeah but... yeah."

Hermione looked away from the befuddled Ron, seeming more smug than ever. Meanwhile, Ron was thinking that he had to get out of the room before he screamed to the world his love for the unlikely Hermione Granger... or worse, recited it in a poem. Ron shuddered and left the room, striding quickly toward the staircase to the boy's dorms. A few seconds later the entire common room heard him shout over the current racket and he walked back down the staircase, blushing furiously.

"Ronald? What was that?" asked Hermione, thinking perhaps she might be able to... er... _make him feel better_.

"Nothing," Ron said, his face flushing.

"Oh come on, Ronald. Fine. I'll go see for myself." She stormed up the staircase to the boy's dorms. A few seconds later you could hear her resonating and disgusted shriek upon discovery of what was on the stairs. Her rapid footsteps preceded her down the stairs and she almost ran into Ron in her rush to get out.

"RON! Was that? Were they?" she asked, obviously disgusted.

"I think so. They were... but she's my..."

"I KNOW RONALD, I KNOW. But... on the stairs?"

A few seconds later, Harry came down the stairs from the dormitory, shortly followed by Ginny Weasley. "What is the big deal down here? I heard screaming and a row..." The entire common room was looking at the foursome by now and Ron's ears were getting bright red. Ron looked at Harry, and within five seconds Ron was shouting at Harry so loudly and clearly that professor McGonagal was called upon and was yelling also.

"HOW COULD YOU? She's my sister, mate. She _just_ broke up with her boyfriend! I can't believe this, mate. You snog my sister... No... eat my sister's face off, and you... you never even told me you fancied her! What the bloody hell were you thinking?"

"What is going on here? And please don't swear, Mr. Weasley." asked McGonagal.

"Er, just practicing for drama club." replied Hermione quickly.

"Yeah that's it, drama club!" said Ron overeagerly, recieving a hurried stomp on the foot.

"Yes indeed. Well then I shall be on my way." replied McGonagal. She turned on her heel, annnoyed at being awakened at this hour, and walked up to a pair of seventh years who seemed obviously drunk. She was talking furiously, her lips that fearsome shade of white-purple they get when she's mad.

"Er, mate... let's talk about this up in the... er... boy's dormitory," said Ron.

"Ginny, let's go." said Hermione.

** 3Time passes, and Harry and Ginny begin dating...**

"Bugger! Someone's got to go to the ball with me!" cursed Ron that Haloween night. There were two hours in which to find a date to the Halloween ball. But who would go with _him? _After the episode with Lavender (their breakup had been... rough) no one wanted to get near him, let alone accompany him to the first ball of the school year.

"Hermione, I am going to be so embarrased I'll die if no one goes to the ball with me. Maybe you'd go, just so I have a date?" _That was a stupid thing to say. She'll never catch on you fancy her if you tell her she's making due..._

"You don't even want to go with me! Why would I go with someone who doesn't like me? You wouldn't get _near_ me, let alone dance with me, hold my hand... or kiss me! I'd bet 12 galleons you would rather kiss _Harry_ than me!"

"'Mione! You don't know that. Will you go with me please so I can prove I fancy you?" _Way to go. Two strikes, idiot._

"Whatever. As long as you look respectable. Let me do your hair," Hermione said absently, her nose back in the book she was reading. She turned the last page and got up to get ready for the ball, announcing to Ron that she was "Going."

"Meet you down here in an hour and a half," said Ron firmly, protectively. He was more than a little excited to be going with Hermione. He just hoped the music was romantic... Little did anyone know that Ron Weasley was a true romantic. Then again, little did anyone know that Ron Weasley fancied Hermione Granger...

"Hey 'Mione. Ready to go?" Ron asked, hoping Hermione had forgotten that she wanted to 'do his hair'.

"Yes, just as soon as I tame your... mane," Hermione looked disapprovingly at the mass of ginger hair on Ron's head. She took out some hair product from her purse and began smoothing the slimy potion through his hair liberally, paying lots of attention to getting it _everywhere_, then spiked it the smallest bit. She stepped back to admire her work. "Perfect," she said, and offered Ron a mirror.

Ron gave a noncommital jerk of the head and offered Hermione his hand. Hand in hand, they started down the stairs and through the portrait.

Hermione felt so safe there on the "loser" bench with Ron. Her hand was under his, and her head was on his shoulder. She never thought that Ron could be so good at this romance thing. Possibly Ron was a hidden romantic at heart...

Ron was nervous enough to vomit. He hoped 'Mione was having a good night. He kept glancing at her through the corner of his eye, hoping she wasn't falling asleep or anything. He had to admit that he had waited for this day to come since the day he met Hermione Granger.

"Hey Ron... 'Mione," said Harry, looking Hermione in the eye. Ron cleared his throat rather loudly, so Harry had to glance rather apologetically at Ron. He had used Ron-only property. Only Ron could call her 'Mione. "You guys seen Gin?" he asked curiously.

"Nope. Sorry," said Ron. Hermione only shook her head a tiny amount so as not to remove it from Ron's chest. He smelled comforting and homey. It was like a pinch of cinnamon and a bit like smoke. The good kind, not the kind from cigarettes or magic smoke. The real stuff, the smell you only get from burning wood, real wood.

The band stopped playing, and Hermione looked up only to realize they had begun to play her favorite muggle slow song. She stood up and grabbed Ron and pulled him onto the dance floor. Ron was going red around the ears and his cheeks were tinged with pink, but he danced with her. He held her closer than he had ever done anyone before. Closer than he had held Lavender. Closer than he had hugged Ginny when she came out of the Chamber of Secrets alive. Closer than he had held Scabbers in the end, not wanting to lose his precious pet. Closer than he had held his Krum action figure. (NOT a doll.) Closer than... closer than Hermione had expected. Although taked aback, it was a good thing.

_And she's buying the stairway..._

_to Heaven..._

Ron looked at Hermione, and she looked up at him, and for that miniscule second, they were the only two people left on this earth. Ron lowered his face down to Hermione's and placed his lips upon hers gently.

"Now how much did you bet me I wouldn't kiss you?"


End file.
